Sweden has temporarily halted plans to send Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine to allow time to field F-16 fighters there. Which Reports This was stated by the Swedish Defense Minister to the TT news agency during a visit to Brussels.
Ukraine began discussions with Sweden last year about the possibility of receiving Gribyns. Since then, the Scandinavian country has been investigating whether it can send planes from aircraft manufacturer Saab. These plans have now been postponed for the time being.
“The other countries in the coalition have asked us to wait with the Gripen system,” Defense Secretary Pal Johnson told TT. Johnson said the alliance would still need time: “This has to do with the fact that the focus now is on fielding the F-16 system.”
Wings of freedom
In July 2022, a coalition of NATO member states led by the Netherlands and Belgium was formed with the aim of supplying Ukraine with modern combat aircraft. Last summer, the United States officially authorized deliveries of the “Wings of Freedom,” as Zelensky calls the F-16s. The first F-16s are scheduled to be deployed over Ukraine later this year. Before this can happen, the country must first have the necessary infrastructure and adequately trained personnel to deploy the F-16. The latter is already being worked on at the training center in Romania. It remains to be seen whether Gripens will also fly here in the future.
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